"our duty to monitor and see how well guidelines are delivering"
The government’s candidate to be the next BBC Chairman Samir Shah said Gary Lineker’s post about Defence Secretary Grant Shapps appeared to breach the corporation’s guidelines.
At a pre-appointment hearing, Dr Shah told MPs that the corporation “needs to find a solution” to arguments over impartiality – as he called the ongoing row between Lineker and the BBC a “psychodrama”.
He also felt it was not “helpful” that the Match of the Day presenter had signed a letter, calling for the end of the government’s Rwanda scheme.
Dr Shah said: “I don’t think it was very helpful either for Gary Lineker or the BBC or the cause he supports because it becomes a story about Gary Linker and the BBC.
“As far as I’m aware, the signing of the letter did not breach those guidelines.
“But the more recent tweet in which he identifies a politician does, on the face of it, seem to breach those guidelines.
“I’m not sure how egregious it is but I imagine the BBC is looking into it and considering its response.”
On what he would do if he was BBC Chairman, Dr Shah said:
“I think it’s our duty to monitor and see how well guidelines are delivering their purpose.”
Samir Shah has been named as the government’s choice for the new BBC Chairman.
But who is he?
The 71-year-old previously held several BBC roles, including Head of Current Affairs.
In a statement, Dr Shah said he was “delighted” to have been named the government’s preferred candidate.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said Dr Shah had “a wealth of experience to bring to the position”.
She added: “He has a clear ambition to see the BBC succeed in a rapidly changing media landscape, and I have no doubt he will provide the support and scrutiny that the BBC needs to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future.”
The DCMS select committee will need the ministers’ choice for Chairperson before it is sent to the privy council and King Charles III for approval.
Samir Shah said: “The BBC is, without doubt, one of the greatest contributions we have made to global culture and one of our strongest calling cards on soft power.
“The BBC has a great place in British life and a unique duty to reach a wide audience right across the country and I will do all I can to ensure it fulfils this in an increasingly competitive market.”
Born in Aurangabad, India, Samir Shah has worked in TV for over 40 years, starting at London Weekend Television in 1979.
Since then, he has worked as the BBC’s Head of Television Current Affairs.
Dr Shah later went on to lead the corporation’s political journalism across radio and television.
In 2007, he was appointed as a non-executive director on the BBC Board.
Dr Shah is currently the Chief Executive of the independent production company Juniper.
Juniper supplies programmes to the BBC as well as the likes of Channel 4, Netflix and National Geographic.
Dr Shah’s half-brother is Mohit Bakaya, BBC Radio 4’s controller.
He and his family moved to England in 1960 and was educated at West London’s Latymer Upper School.
Dr Shah studied Geography at the University of Hull before pursuing further studies in Anthropology and Geography at St Catherine’s College, Oxford, taking a doctorate of Philosophy.
In 2002, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Television Society.
He received an OBE “for services to equal opportunities in broadcasting” and in 2019, Dr Shah was promoted to CBE “for services to heritage and television”.
As BBC Chairman, Samir Shah will be in charge of upholding and protecting the BBC’s independence and ensuring that it continues to inform, educate and entertain.
He will also take charge of negotiations with the government over the licence fee’s future.
A BBC spokesperson said: “We welcome the announcement that Samir Shah has been selected as the government’s preferred candidate to take up the role of BBC chair and look forward to him joining the board once the formal process has been completed.”
If Samir Shah becomes BBC Chairman, it comes at a challenging time as the BBC looks to make £500 million of savings in the face of high inflation and a two-year freeze to the cost of a TV licence.
The licence fee is currently £159 but is expected to rise in April 2024 in line with inflation.
The licence fee is due to stay the same until at least 2027, when the BBC’s Royal Charter ends, with a debate taking place about how the broadcaster should be funded after that.
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